Hide And Seek
by Otter Child
Summary: Something strange is happening in a small American town. Something only the children know about. And unless the Doctor can act in time, it will be something deadly.
1. Chapter 1

1

"Hey, where you going four eyes?"

"We're gonna get-cha!"

Whoops and hollers followed the girl as she ran. Her feet skidded on the concrete. Her breath rasped in her chest as she ducked down an alley and bolted through yards, trying to lose her pursuers. But it was hopeless. Her short, thin legs, hampered by her dress, would not keep her ahead of the larger boys for much longer. They always caught her.

She gasped, fighting the stitch in her side as she barreled across the back lawns. The whoops and hollers were getting closer.

"Hey four-eyes! Where are you?"

The girl skidded down an alley, her mouse-brown hair snapping behind her. But she had made a mistake. The alley ended in a wall. The girl stumbled to a halt, her chest heaving.

A small murmur sounded, low to the ground. The girl shook her head, her eyes wide behind her glasses. "No. You'll get us in trouble." Then she darted forward. "Come on. Behind the dumpster."

Footsteps pounded against the asphalt.

"Where'd she go?"

"Hey cry baby!"

"Come out, you little four-eyed chicken!"

The girl rocked in the darkness, her hands wrapped tight around her knees. Her eyes were wide, the eyes of a rabbit who smells the fox.

A shadow fell across the light beyond her hiding place. There was a low growl beside her, weird and bubbling. The girl shook her head.

A grinning face appeared in the gap. The boy stood."Hey guys, I found the twerp!"Then he bent again, hand reaching . A sound chirruped out.  
>"Do it," the girl breathed.<p>

There was a low warbling noise. Four lines of bright red opened along the reaching arm, scoring from wrist to elbow. Blood jetted out, spraying the wall and the girl's shoes.

That was when the screaming started.


	2. Chapter 2

2

"You know what I'm in the mood for?" the Doctor said, looking away from his reverie on the time rotor, "Ice cream. That's what I want. Slow churned ice cream."

Looking up from her work at the other side of the consol, Jenny pushed silver bangs from her eyes. "Ice-cream?"

"Yup." The Doctor said, "Been craving it all day. And I don't think you've ever had real old-fashioned ice cream," his dark eyes lit up as he described, "real cream, real ice, turned slow until the texture's absolutely ace. Yes, I think that's exactly what I'm in the mood for. You game?"

Jenny watched her father with a doubtful tilt of her brows. "I think we've got some in the fridge."

"Oh, but that's _store bought_ stuff." The Doctor said with disdain, "I'm talking about the real thing. Only one place to they do it properly too. America, pre-Korean War twentieth century America. That's the ticket. Midwest for best texture. Maybe... ah, let's make it the Dairy State. Remember which one they call the Dairy State?"

"Wismatiaon?" Jenny ventured. The Doctor held up a finger as he reset the chronotetrometer. "Close but wrong. They don't call it Wismantiaon in the twentieth century; it's Wisconsin. Set the coordinates in for Earth, there's a preprogrammed setting for each of the states on the American continent. Let's say, nineteen forty-nine. And summer. Absolutely has to be summer for eating ice cream." Then he looked up, and grinned at his daughter.

The TARDIS materialized softly in the dappled shade of the wood. Opening the door, the Doctor stepped out, drawing a deep breath.

"Ah. Smell that air. Green things and summer time. No diesel fuel residue in the air yet, too early and too far out in the country. Love that. Nineteen forty-nine, bit of a hard year for the United States."

"Nineteen forty-seven." Jenny muttered, glaring down at the patent leather shoes that completed the costume her father had insisted she wear. "You missed the target year."

The Doctor shrugged. Jenny glared up at her oblivious father. "Why does _male_ fashion never change?"

The Doctor gave her a disparaging glance from under the brim of a black fedora he'd scrounged out of the Wardrobe. "It does. I did slick my hair back. Even put on a hat, see?" he tapped the brim. "Hat. And the dress isn't _that _bad, Jenny."

In response, Jenny looked down at the pink skirt and white top he'd argued her into, then back up at her father, her brows raised. The Doctor gave her a bright smile, trying to hold off any further argument."It's very nice! Makes you look quite…pretty. And it's in period."

Jenny's brows quirked a little higher. "It's _pink._"

"So?"

"_Pink."_

The Doctor slowly shook his head. "I'm not seeing the problem."

Jenny snorted. "You wouldn't."

The Doctor shrugged, and started forward. "If I'm right the main street should be straight ahead. We're on the outskirts of the small town of Wausau, Wisconsin. Wausau, Wisconsin. Has a bit of a ring to it, don't you think?"

"Rhythmic anyway." Jenny conceded, pushing aside a branch. They came out of the trees onto a narrow road, shaded by trees and lined with houses.

"Charming." The Doctor pronounced, "Feels like we walked into a Norman Rockwell painting. C'mon."

The main street of Wausau was short, lined with flat-topped brick buildings and boxy cars. Jenny grudgingly admitted that her father had been right; the women on the sidewalks all wore skirts in similar pastel shades to the one she was stuck in.

A bell rang over the door as the Doctor pushed it open. The store was bright with linoleum and chrome, surfaces flashing in the noon light that blazed through the window. The thick man glanced up from his polishing of the counter.

"Hi folks."

"Hello," the Doctor said jovially, sliding onto a bar stool, "two ice creams please." The man behind the bar set down his rag. "Sure. Got any flavors in mind?"

"Hmm…vanilla and strawberry I think," the Doctor said, "You?" he asked, glancing at his daughter.

"Chocolate," Jenny said decisively, "thanks."The man behind the counter nodded. "Sure thing, coming right up." He turned to open the lid of the freezer behind him.

The Doctor glanced over a paper on the counter, headlined '3rd Boy Mauled by Feral Dog', and tapped the date. Jenny was right; he had missed the target year a bit. He looked up and grinned as he was handed his cone. He took one luxurious lick. "Mmmm. See what I mean? Perfect!" Jenny nodded, biting into her own treat.

They took their ice creams outside, strolling down the street as the Doctor commented on interesting quirks of the period. Jenny listened interestedly. Then she grinned, gesturing with her cone at the billboard plastered to the wall of the building they were passing, which showed a manically smiling woman opening a refrigerator for display. "The art's pretty bad in this period. I know it's only an advert, but jeez!"

The Doctor laughed. "You've got a point there. Look at the way her eyebrows…" Then he looked at the wall again, below the billboard. His words trailed off. Jenny glanced up at him. "Something up?"

Instead of answering, he strode forward, reaching out a hand. He ran his fingers along the three vertical trenches that had been dug into the bricks. "Claw marks," the Doctor murmured, looking down the wall, where more vertical furrows were dug in the brickwork.

"What is it?" Jenny asked sharply.

"Claw marks," the Doctor said, "dug right into the brick." He glanced up, meeting his daughter's eyes. "Something's been sharpening its claws here."

"That's not good." Jenny said quietly, staring at the marks. Slowly, her father nodded. "I'm guessing it's very not good. Very, very not good."


	3. Chapter 3

3

The TARDIS came into view as the two Time Lords pushed branches aside, entering the clearing where it was parked.

"Something made those marks, something fairly big," the Doctor said quickly, "There's an outside chance that it might be something native, maybe a bear, but I'm not betting on it. Better safe than sorry…"

"If we're going to be tracking something, I'm getting out of this dress." Jenny said, "And these shoes."

"It's a period costume, Jenny." The Doctor said with absent irritation, glancing back at her as he unlocked the TARDIS door.

"It's also a pain in the ass." Jenny stated. The Doctor rolled his eyes, opening the door. He bounded up the ramp, and, pulling up a grate, rummaged around inside. "Ah! There we go!" He pulled out a slender black rod with a flourish, and bounded back down the ramp. "Genetic material identification device. Picked it up back on the Marlowe station." He pressed it against the sleeve of his suit jacket, holding it up as the wand came alight, then glowed with words that scrolled across the barrel. **Time Lord, sample age .09 seconds **. The Doctor grinned. "Brilliant little thing. Now, let's see what we've got."

Back at the wall, the Doctor pressed the identification device into one of the furrows, muttering to himself. "If it hasn't rained, there ought to be a decent sample…pigeon, dog, cat, no, no, human, no…menethon? Really?" He held up the wand and shook it, then placed it against another set of marks. Again, the wand read ** Menethon, sample age 1.45 weeks **

"Menethon?" Jenny asked, her head cocked.

"It's an animal," the Doctor replied, "A pet, usually, from Jamek 6. People call them crystal cats. Well, when I say 'pet' I suppose 'guard dog' would be closer to the mark. The animals act as guardians and companions to the Jameki, bond with them for life. Which is what makes this so odd. Menethon have a basic physiological need to be bonded with a companion. Doesn't make sense, one of them here on its own."

"Could some Jameki be hanging around town?" Jenny asked, watching her father investigate the other claw marks.

"Nah," the Doctor said dismissively, "not unless there's been a crash. the Jameki are a travelling people. Most they ever do on a planet is see the sights, fill up their water tanks and head off again. The TARDIS didn't pick up any distress Jameki distress signals. So what's one of their pets doing here?" He turned, his dark eyes distant and considering. "Feral dog…" he turned to his daughter. "There was a report of a feral dog attack in the paper back in the malt shop. I'm betting that was no dog."

"So we've got a feral animal gone rampaging on our hands?" Jenny asked. The Doctor shook his head decisively. "No, no it won't be running amok. A menethon is physiologically predisposed to companionship, like I said. It can't stand to be alone. It'll be lonely and frightened, and it'll be looking for a companion, a friend, somebody that makes it feel safe. And if the newspaper was right…." He glanced up and down the street. "Boys. It said a few boys had been savaged…" Then he was moving, striding back down the street. The bell range over the malt shop door as the Doctor stuck his head in. "By the way, been thinking about moving somewhere near here, but I saw that report 'bout the feral dog. Is that a common thing around here?"

"No sir it's not," the man behind the counter said emphatically, "fact is this is the first time it's happened in Wausau. I wouldn't fret over it, this dog's goin' to get itself shot any time now, at the rate the thing's going."

"The rate it's going?" the Doctor inquired. The man leaned forward over his counter. "it's attacked three kids already. Last one's still in the hospital. Donny Grable. His mother's awful shook up over it. Boy's arm ripped clean to the bone, so I hear. Sherrif's got hunting parties out looking for the dog with shotguns now."

The Doctor nodded, and smiled widely. "Right, thanks much." He closed the door and started down the street, then turned on his heel. The bell jingled as he stuck his head in again.

"Erm, where's the school round here?"

….

The Wausau Elementary was a long, low, squat building with small windows. The Doctor and his daughter pushed through the doors.

"Menethon generally tend toward making new bonds with children," the Doctor said in an undertone, "and based on the fact that all the victims have been children, I'm guessing that it's found a child to make friends with."

"If some kid's found the menethon, you think it'll be following her around?" Jenny murmured. The Doctor nodded. "Definitely. Menethon never leave someone they've bonded to if they can help it."

"Then why hasn't an unusual animal sighting been reported?" Jenny asked.

"Because nobody will have seen a Crystal Cat. That's why it's called a Crystal Cat." The Doctor glanced at her, surprised. "Didn't I tell you about crystal cats? Could've sworn I did."

Jenny shot him a sharp look. "You told me they were group animals. What else?"

"Well," the Doctor said, "Crystal cats are one of the most interesting animals in the universe. Really fascinating. They're covered in tripartite silicate quartz, see, naturally imbedded in their skin. The quartz acts as a light scattering device, keeps the eye from focusing on it. Blends them perfectly into their background. Biological invisibility, almost perfect, except in specific situations. It's a fascinating evolutionary adaptation . Emotionally bonded family units and invisibility together make them one of the most successful species on their planet."

Jenny frowned. "Invisible. It would have to be invisible."

"Something wrong with that?" the Doctor asked, quirking an eyebrow. Jenny shot him an annoyed glare. "I _hate_ invisible creatures. They're tactical nightmares. Next time, give me a bit more warning?" She opened her mouth to say more, but the Doctor shushed her as they entered the school office. He smiled brightly at the sour-faced secretary behind the desk.

"Hello," he said, pulling out his psychic paper, "Doctor Smith, Health department, we just came by to check up on a few things. "

The woman stared from one of them to the other, unimpressed. "And you are?" she asked in a high, nasal voice, looking at Jenny. Jenny pulled out her psychic paper. "Jenny Good, health officer in charge of rabies control. You've had three students savaged by a wild animal; we'd like to see their records. We're interested in seeing who they might have come in contact with so we can keep an eye on the possibility of secondary infections."

The woman's eyes widened behind her spectacles. "Can that happen?"

Jenny nodded gravely. "In certain situations. So could we see those files?"

The secretary's head bobbed. "Of course." Turning, she began to open the drawers of a filing cabinet.

While she rummaged through papers, the Doctor shot his daughter a glance. _ That was direct._ Jenny gave the barest of nods. _Gets the job done, doesn't it?_

Then the woman was back, a sheaf of papers in her hand. The Doctor nodded, looking solemnly at the secretary. "Thanks, you've been most helpful."

Out in the hall, the Doctor leafed through the papers. "All three of the boys that've gotten savaged are members of the same homeroom. Mrs. Young." Snapping the folder closed, the Doctor turned. "Why don't we go audit the class?"

The teacher was halfway through a lesson when the Doctor opened the classroom door. He nodded to the teacher, then moved to the back of the room, leaning against the wall. Students' heads turned to follow him and Jenny, but most just as quickly lost interest.

The Doctor studied the class as they sat at their desks. A fairly normal class. Some bored and daydreaming, some attentive, a number of them shooting curious glances back at the place where they stood. Jenny studied the room, but she couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. The Doctor sighed as the class wore on, and began to tap his fingers against the side of his coat.

Eventually, the bell rang, and the students streamed to the back of the room, grabbing their lunch pails before racing for the door, laughing and chattering, pushing past one another. One of the little girls tried to push forward, but the crowd shoved her back. She started to fall, but caught her balance at the last moment. Jenny stopped her hand midway to catching her. She smiled at the girl. "Steady on."

The girl stared at Jenny for a moment, her eyes wide behind thick glasses. "Mary, do hurry," the teacher called, "you'll be late for lunch."

The little girl turned, glanced at the teacher, and hurried out of the room. Father and daughter glanced at each other, and shrugged.

As the last few students scurried out of the room, the young woman behind the desk looked up. Her brass name plate read 'Miss Eugenia Young'

"Can I help you?" the teacher asked, standing.

"Yes," said the Doctor, stepping forward, "I'm Doctor Smith, and this is Miss Good, with the Health Department. We've come to have a word about the boys in your class that have gotten savaged."

The young woman sighed "Yes, of course. It's been a scare for the whole community. Most of my children aren't allowed to walk home by themselves by now. It's unnerved everyone."  
>"I'm not surprised," the Doctor said, "But I was hoping you could tell us a little more about the students who were hurt. We're making an investigation of conditions, that sort of thing. Trying to pinpoint where the attacks have been happening."<p>

"Yes, of course. Well, I can tell you that the first attack happened right behind the school. About a month ago. Mitch Tyson came into the building with his leg just gushing blood. And then Jimmy Oulson got hurt, over on Sixth street, around three weeks later. And Donny-Donny Grable that is- I believe Donny, poor thing, got hurt just two days ago, over on Second Street. I'm afraid that doesn't help much. They seem to happen all over."

"They're all students of yours, Miss Young?" the Doctor asked. The teacher nodded. "Yes, all three of them. They…well, they might not be my best students, but what's happening is tragic."

"Not the best students?" the Doctor queried, "Not quick on the uptake, are they?"

"No," Miss Young said carefully, "really, they're fine boys. Just a bit… energetic. Tend to be boisterous, play rough with the other students, things like that. Just boys acting up."

The Doctor nodded. "Right. Boys being boys and all that." He smiled, though it was a half-hearted attempt. "Thanks for the information. I think that's all we need."

Out in the hall, Jenny caught her father's eye. _What was that all about?_

The Doctor met her gaze. _That was a polite way of saying all three boys have a habit of bullying other students. I think we might want to have a word with them. See who they were bothering when they were attacked._

Jenny nodded _Find the kid they were going at, we find the kid who's made a new friend._

They stopped in the office to return the files. "And where's the head?" Jenny asked. The secretary gave her a quizzical look. "Sorry," Jenny said, "I mean the bathroom."

"Down the hall on the left."

"Thanks. Back in a tick."

Jenny stepped inside, and just as quickly held up her hands. "Hey, only me." The girl from the classroom looked up at her with wide, fearful eyes, then looked down again, scrubbing at the front of her dress. The entire front was splattered with a viscous, dark brown stain.

"I don't think just scrubbing at it is going to take it out." Jenny said gently. "It's some sort of pudding, right?"

The girl nodded.

"How'd it happen?"

"Got knocked down in the lunch line." the girl muttered, never looking up.

"Damn." Jenny said, "That sucks." The girl looked up at her, finally, her face shocked. "You just cussed!"

Jenny shrugged, smiling. "I know. Bad habit. My dad tells me all the time to watch my language." Bending down, she pulled a small bag from her pocket. Her father had asked her to leave her favorite accessory, her denim satchel, back in the ship, but there were certain essential things she wasn't going to be caught dead without. Reaching inside, she found the cloth that she used for taking blood stains out of her favorite t-shirts. The cloth, an environment for micro-organisms that selectively ate poorly organized organic compounds while leaving highly structured compounds like the fibers in cloth alone, was the only reason she still had much of a wardrobe. "I've got something here that might take those stains out. Is it okay if I try it?"

Warily, the girl nodded. Jenny smiled, and began wiping at the dress. The stains evaporated beneath it. Eyes on her work, Jenny tried to bring the girl out with a bit of chit-chat, but she didn't get very far. She settled for trying to remove the stain, which had splashed right across the girl's front.

In the corner of her vision, the slow moving timelines suddenly flickered, as if something had moved across them. Jenny whipped around, still on her knees, scanning the room. "What?" the little girl asked, her voice tight.

"I thought I saw something," Jenny said, "an animal or something. Guess it was nothing." She turned back. "Just a little more, and this'll be done, Mary-what's you're last name?"

The girl didn't answer. Pulling away, she hurried to the door. "Thanks miss, but I'm going to be late." Jenny stepped forward, "Mary, just a minute-" She caught the door, looking out into the hall. But Mary was already gone.

….

The Doctor strode down the hall of Memorial Hospital, Jenny staying a step behind to keep up the pretense of being his assistant. He'd grabbed her a clipboard to finish the charade. He smiled at the attending nurse, pulling out his psychic paper. "Hello, Dr. Smith, specialist in reconstructive surgery. I'm supposed to see Donny Grable?"

The nurse nodded. "Room four, second bed down."

The boy lying in the bed was thin and gangly, just beginning his adolescence. He lay in the bed with a comic book held in one hand. The other arm was wrapped from fingers to elbow in white gauze, held to his chest in a sling. He looked up as the Doctor pulled up a chair beside his bed.

"Hello, Donny. I'm the Doctor."

"Hello." said the boy, his voice thin.

"Donny," the Doctor said, looking at the boy earnestly, "I'm here to ask you about what happened to your arm. We need to find the animal that did it so that it can't hurt anyone else."

The boy shifted in his bed. "What do you want to know?"

"Anything you can remember," the Doctor said, "anything at all. Can you tell me about it?"

The boy looked away. "We were playing down by Second Street, and-I went to get my ball, and the dog came out and bit me."

"A dog?" the Doctor said quietly, his dark eyes intent. "Are you sure it was a dog, Donny?"

"Sure," the young boy said, his watery blue eyes wide in his pale face, "A dog. Honest, Doc, it was just a dog."

The Doctor held his gaze. "But that's not honest, is it, Donny? I don't know what hurt you, but I know it wasn't a dog."

The boy scowled, looking away.

"What were you doing, Donny?" the Doctor asked slowly. Donny sighed."We were…we were playing, Henry and James and me. We weren't doing nothing bad."

"I'm not saying you were." The Doctor said reasonably, "I'm just trying to put the pieces of what happened together. What you tell me will help with that. And it might protect a lot of other people in town. Just tell me where you were, and what you saw. What you really saw."

Donny let out a breath. "Okay, maybe it wasn't a dog. I didn't see what it was, but if it was a raccoon or something I'll have to get rabies shots. I hate shots!"

The Doctor nodded. "I'll make sure there aren't any shots." The boy nodded warily. "Well, we were playing, an' then I reached behind the dumpster to get…something, an' the dog took a bite out of me."

"What were you getting?"

The boy shrugged, his eyes on his comic book. "Just something."

"Donny," the Doctor said, letting a little sternness creep into his voice, "I need all the details. All of them. I won't tell anyone, but I've got to know exactly what you were doing."

The boy looked up, his blue eyes wide and watery. "It…it was Mary O'Dell. She'd gotten in there to hide. It was…it was just fun. We was just playing." He met the Doctor's eyes for just a moment, then looked away. "We wasn't going to hurt her or anything, it's just…she's always so jumped up, thinkin' she's better than me'n the boys, an' sometimes we razz her just to teach her a thing or two. We didn't do nothing bad."

"Tell me the rest, Donny." The Doctor said quietly. Donny swallowed. "We were running, and then Mary went into the Sixth Street yard an' hid out. I reached in where she was, hid behind a dumpster. Then…I don't know what happened. I reached in, and my arm came out all bloody."

The Doctor nodded thoughtfully, his eyes far away. "You were chasing Mary. And I'm guessing Mary didn't like it much."

"It was just fun!" the boy squeaked. "Just some fun."

The Doctor turned back to the boy in the bed, glaring at him "For you, it was just fun," he said, his voice low. "But Mary was scared. You terrified her, and you thought that was fun. Think about that, Donny. You terrified another person because you enjoyed it. Because you were big and strong and liked seeing her scared."

Then he stood, turning away coldly, and strode from the room.

_Mary._ Jenny said silently, _ That's the name of the kid was telling you about on the way over here. Maybe I was right. Maybe it was the cat I saw in there._

The Doctor nodded slightly. _Perhaps._

_Where to now?_ Jenny asked.

_The school again, _her father replied as he strode down the hall,_ because if I'm right, Mary O'Dell is a very dangerous young girl right now._


	4. Chapter 4

4

By the time they reached the school it was closed and shuttered, but the sonic screwdriver made short work of the lock on a side door. Walking down the silent corridors, they slipped into the main office. The Doctor's sonic screwdriver glowed in the darkness, bathing their faces in blue light. The drawer of the filing cabinet clicked open.

"Now…" the Doctor said softly, "Let's see…Mary, Mary….Mary O'Dell…..ah! Here, Mary O'Dell, sixteen Peach Street. Right, Miss O'Dell, we have a date."

Sixteen Peach street was a small, ranch style home on a tree-lined street, lights glowing yellow in the windows. The Doctor knocked on the front door, and put on his best smile. The smile faded as the minutes passed and the door remained stubbornly closed. He knocked again. Slowly, the door opened a crack. Mary's eyes peered from behind the door. The Doctor knelt to her level. "Hello Mary. Can we talk to you?"

"My mom's at work." Mary replied, her voice doubtful, "I'm not supposed to open the door to strangers." The Doctor smiled. "Well that's all right, I'm not a stranger. I'm a doctor. I need your help, Mary. I need to know something, and I think you have the answers. Do you think you can help me?"

Slowly, the door opened a little further. Mary regarded the Doctor warily, then, very slowly, let go of the doorknob. The Doctor smiled, and walked inside.

The O'Dell house was furnished in the classic nineteen-fifties style of America, with a peach sofa against the wall and a blocky television set sitting on its stand in pride of place against the far wall. Mary stood at the edge of the room, looking lost in her own home. The Doctor took a seat on the couch, Jenny following his lead. The girl watched them warily.

"My mom's going to be home soon."

"Good, then I can have a word with her too," the Doctor said, "because I need to know what's been happening here in Wausau. Mary, I wanted to ask you about what happened when Donny and his friends were picking on you."

Mary looked away. "They started it."

The Doctor nodded. "I bet they did. And I bet they've been picking on you for a long time, haven't they?"

For a moment, Mary stood still, staring at her shoes. Then she nodded slightly. The Doctor leaned forward. "How long have they been at it?"

"Since second grade." Mary murmured. Jenny frowned. "And nobody noticed?" The girl shook her head. "Why didn't you tell anyone?" Jenny asked. The girl shrugged.

"Because nobody would listen." The Doctor said softly. "Nobody ever listened, and telling anyone made the other kids retaliate with even more vehemence. After a while you just got used to the taunts and shoves. A little kid, all alone, and the only interaction you get with the other kids is when you're the butt of their jokes." Mary's head lowered further, her shoulders hunching as if against a blow. The Doctor rose from his seat, and knelt in front of the child. "They've even made you believe it's somehow your fault, haven't they? Mary, look at me." Very slowly, Mary's eyes met his behind their thick glasses. The Doctor held her gaze. "None of this is your fault. There is nothing wrong with you. In fact, from what I've seen, you're stronger than most. Putting up with all that, never letting it get you down, that takes doing." He studied the girl's face. "But you made a friend, didn't you? The friend that you always wished you had. And he made all of them leave you alone." He watched as Mary's eyes widened in shock. She took a small step back, staring at the Doctor as if he'd slapped her. He held up his hands. "It's okay, really. I can understand how lonely you must have been. And it was lonely too. Where was it when you found it?"

Mary swallowed. "Out in the woods. I…I found him. He was crying, like a baby."

"And you paid attention to him." The Doctor said softly. "He came home with you. And he's been with you, living here, ever since. You've been a good friend, Mary. But people are getting hurt, and that can't go on."

"It won't happen again, I swear!" Mary said, her voice shrill, "He was just trying to keep me safe! He won't do it again, honest!"

The Doctor lowered his voice, doing his best to keep the child calm. In the corner of his eye, something flickered. "I know you'll try Mary. But your new friend wants to protect you, and he doesn't understand that it's wrong to hurt people. He's…well, he's like a very special kind of dog. Dogs can't figure out right and wrong, Mary, and you can't always keep him from acting up. Someone could die, Mary. In fact, someone probably will die. That's why we came."

A low hum started, just on the edge of hearing. Something brushed against the Doctor's leg.

_Ah, Father…_ The Doctor shut out Jenny's mental warning, focusing on Mary. "I'm sorry, Mary. I'm so sorry, but he can't keep living here. He's got to go back to where he came from. He'll be happier there, and everyone will be safer." But his words only made her face crumple. Tears leaked from the corners of her eyes. "No, no, you can't take him! You can't!"

The Doctor reached out, trying to comfort the young woman. A low warble rang in the air, and the Doctor snatched his hand back. Mary's eyes widened. "Cheshire, no!"

"You won't always be able to keep him under control that way," the Doctor said, his voice almost a murmur, "not if he thinks you're in danger. Sooner or later, he's going to hurt someone. You don't want that to happen, do you, Mary? Please, let me help you and Cheshire."

The girl shook her head, her eyes closed. "No! You'll take him away. He needs me! Please, please, just leave us alone!" She was crying in earnest now, tears streaming down her face. The Doctor scanned the room, trying to spot any sign of the creature. With his companion in this sort of emotional state, he would be edgy, and more dangerous than ever.

The girl's dress wrinkled oddly, and a low murmur sounded close to the ground, mixed with a bubbling sound somewhere between a purr and a hiss. The Menethon, the Doctor realized, rubbing up against the little girl, trying to comfort her.

Suddenly, the burble turned into a keen that skittered up the Doctor's spine, and a weight hit him hard in the shins, bowling him over. He fell with a yelp, and heard Jenny call out. Looking in her direction, he saw her leveling a tranquilizing gun. "Jenny, put the bloody thing away!" he shouted, pushing himself to his feet. Jenny ignored him, fired, and then leapt, somersaulting in the air. Behind her, another keening howl sounded, and there was the sound of claws scrabbling on carpet as the creature turned. "Out out out!" the Doctor shouted, taking his daughter by the shoulder and shoving her out the front door, slamming it behind him, taking off running.

"We can stop." The Doctor said after half a block, putting out a hand to stop his daughter's sprint, "He won't go anywhere very far from his companion." He glared at Jenny as she slowed to a walk. Only then did he notice the burn in his legs. He looked down, and grimaced. His trousers were ripped to shreds beneath the knees, and spotted with blood. "Beautiful job. Now that you've completely muffed the situation, what do you suggest we do about it?"

"Muffed it?" Jenny retorted irately, "It was you who couldn't even keep the thing distracted. I could've gotten a clean shot in while it was standing beside the girl, I could see its movements by the indents of its paws on the carpet and the folding of her dress!"

"When will you learn that you can't solve everything with a gun?" The Doctor exclaimed. Jenny glared up at him. "About the time you learn that you can't reason and sweet talk everything in the entire goddamn universe!"

"Watch your language!"

"Oh shut it, you say worse when you're doing repairs."

"I do not!"

"Don't lie, you taught me Gallifreyan, I know what you're saying."

"Where did you learn curse words?"

"The TARDIS gave them to me!"

The Doctor rolled his eyes. For a few moments, they walked in uncomfortable silence. "So what's plan B?" Jenny asked quietly. The Doctor sighed. "Honestly? I don't know just yet. But we've got to get that Menethon out of here. And fast too."

…..

Mary stared at the front door, her throat tight. With a murmur, the soft warmth of Cheshire's body wrapped around her legs. She dropped to her knees, putting out her hands, and Cheshire's head bucked up under them, begging for petting and reassurance. He was so sweet when he did that, like the dog Mom had never let her have. Better than a dog. A whole lot better. And now they wanted to take the best friend she'd ever had away.

She ran her hands over Cheshire's rough skin. She had named him Cheshire after the Cheshire Cat, because of the way he could appear and disappear. He faded into view now, his wide triangular head under her hands, his big bat ears at half mast. Cheshire started purring. But the purr became a wheeze, and Cheshire coughed. Mary's forehead wrinkled. "You okay boy?" He'd been wheezing a lot lately. And his skin wasn't the same color it had been a few days ago. Cheshire pushed his muzzle against Mary's chest, asking for more attention. At least he acted okay. Maybe he just had a cold.

Mary wrapped her hands around her pet's narrow shoulders. "Everything's going to be okay. You'll see. We'll be okay."

…

"Ow!"

"Wimp."

"That hurts you know!" The Doctor rubbed pointedly at his shins, glaring at Jenny as she put the dermal patch kit away. "And look at my trousers! Shredded!"

"You can turn them into shorts." Jenny said over her shoulder. The Doctor gave her a dismayed look. "There's no way I'm wearing shorts in this regeneration. Haven't got the legs for it." He rubbed at his shins. While the cuts were repaired, the bruises, already purple and still darkening, were still very much in evidence. And they did hurt. Sometimes he wondered if the Machine that had created his daughter had mucked up her pain sensors. She thought anything short of a fracture wasn't worth attending to. "And this is why you don't change the plan when we're in the middle of something, Jenny. People get hurt."

Jenny rolled her eyes, her back turned to her father. "You're fine."

"Well, it could've been a lot worse." The Doctor groused. Then he sighed, settling back in the console seat. "So, Menethon on the loose…and we won't be welcome at the house again…" he ran a hand through his dark shock of hair. "We've got to keep her from getting into any situations where the Menethon will feel threatened. And we've got to get her to part with it. Though how we're going to convince her, I have no idea whatsoever."

"Maybe follow her to school tomorrow? Try to keep her out of trouble?" Jenny asked, cocking her head as she leaned against the console. The Doctor nodded, resigned. "Yes, I suppose that's the only thing we can do, isn't it?"


End file.
